For Educators and Students

National Archives at Kansas City

Dr. Joseph Fischer to Discuss John Quincy Adams: "Mad Man or Man of Eloquence?" at the National Archives

For More Information Contact:
Kimberlee Ried, 816-268-8072

Kansas City, (MO)… The National Archives at Kansas City will host Dr. Joseph Fischer on Thursday, September 20 at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion titled John Quincy Adams: "Mad Man or Man of Eloquence?" A 6:00 p.m. reception will precede the event.

No one in the history of the United States came to the Presidency better prepared for the task than John Quincy Adams. Son of John Adams and Abigail, he had been classically educated with competency in six languages. Historians often view him as the nation's most successful Secretary of State yet, as President, he proved a failure, securing little of a program well beyond the political vision of his day. Beyond his Presidency, he found his voice becoming an energetic opponent of slavery. Labeled a "mad man" by his foes and "Old Man Eloquence" by his supporters he lived a life of principle and perhaps for a politician, there can be no higher compliment.

This lecture is part of the One of 44 Lecture Series being offered in conjunction with the School House to White House exhibit currently on display at the National Archives through February 23, 2013. School House to White House focuses on the education of the Presidents.

Joseph Fischer serves as a professor in the Directorate of Military History, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, KS. He received a bachelor’s in history in 1975 from Pennsylvania State University and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry. In 1979, he returned to civilian life earning a second bachelor’s in secondary education and a master’s in history from Pennsylvania State University. Soon after graduation, he reentered the U.S. Army serving as a company commander in the third armored division and later as an assistant professor of military history at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Shortly after leaving West Point, he entered a the doctorate program in American history at Pennsylvania State University and graduated in 1993. His last government assignment before joining the faculty at CGSC was as one of the USA Special Operations Command (SOC) historian at Fort Bragg, NC.

The National Archives at Kansas City is one of 13 facilities nationwide where the public has access to Federal archival records. It is home to more than 50,000 cubic feet of historical records dating from the 1820s to the 1990s created or received by nearly 100 Federal agencies. Serving the Central Plains Region, the archives holds records from the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The facility is located at 400 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108. It is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for research, with the exhibits open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 816-268-8000 or visit us online.